“You can never have enough button-downs so instead of splurging on one investment piece, it’s better to create a shirt wardrobe, “ says New York-based fashion consultant Sarah Meikle, adding that everyone needs a white, blue, and striped button-down at a minimum. How do you pick a perfect button-down shirt? If you’re truly going to live in this button-down and take good care of it, it should last and that justifies the cost. If you do find something you love that’s more expensive, make sure it has a unique detail like a puff sleeve, ruffle or luxurious fabric that makes it a statement piece. There is an endless selection of high-quality, affordable shirts in classic and on-trend styles in cotton and organic cotton available at Everlane, J.Crew and Madewell. It’s an everyday staple with timeless appeal, but you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a good button-down. Go for a longer style if you want to wear your button-down untucked or tucked into suiting and high-waisted jeans.įrequently Asked Questions About The Best Women’s Button-Down Shirts How much should I spend on a button-down? A classic fit button-down works for almost all body types and slim fits are great for those that like a streamlined look. The opposite is true if you have a pear-shaped body, and your shoulders are narrower than your hips: In that case, shirts with dramatic sleeves balance your silhouette. If you have broad shoulders, the oversized or boyfriend shirt further accentuates your shoulders,” says wardrobe stylist Alison Bruhn. However, for shirting, the perfect fit may come down to style, not size. Sizes: When it comes to button-downs, the sizes tends to be fairly standard among brands, thankfully.Steer clear of cheap synthetic fabrics, as they look exactly that way.

Silk looks and feels sexy and luxurious so it’s a great evening option, but it can be expensive, isn’t as structured or classically tailored as cotton and will need to be dry cleaned. Linen and linen-cotton blends are natural fibers that are popular for their breathability but they will wrinkle, although that’s often the intended look. You may also see cotton blended with a hint of elastane in the case of slim fits and stretch shirting. Fabric: Cotton, and preferably organic cotton, is the favored fabric of button-downs for its affordability, breathability, durability, and easy-to-care-for factor (most are machine washable).While all share common button and tailoring attributes, anything goes in terms of color and pattern-play around with monochrome, striped, plaid, collars of all sizes, pockets, no pockets, pleats, exaggerated or puff sleeves and a-symmetrical and curved hems. “Whether it's for the day, night, casual, dressed-up, there’s a button-down shirt for every body shape and every occasion.” Focus on the four main styles: The classic oxford, the slim fit, the oversized (or boyfriend) and the collarless shirt. Style: A classic button-down-a shirt with a collar and rows of buttons in the front-might have started out as a menswear basic but modern button-downs (or button-ups) are gender neutral, according to New York-based stylist Tracy Taylor.What To Look For With The Best Button-Down Shirts Finally, we took into account our own personal experience with wearing button-downs as a foundational wardrobe staple to come up with our final list of recommendations. We also researched bestsellers from brands whose DNA is in great shirting and crossed referenced these lists with actual shopper reviews. To curate our list of best button-downs, we asked expert fashion stylists to provide their tried-and-true favorites, taking into consideration style, fabric, fit and price. How We Chose The Best Women’s Button-Downs “I adore the fun drama of the generous side slits and dainty mother of pearl buttons-this shirt can be worn for day but is so special for evening over a back lace bodysuit.” “It’s an unexpected fabric for this wardrobe basic,” she says.

If you want to invest in silk shirt that’s extremely well-made and will last you season after season, New York-based stylist Sarah Easley swears by The Row’s Carla silk shirts. The Row is sought out by discerning fashion shoppers for their luxurious yet laid-back style essentials. Sizes: XS-L | Colors: White | Materials: 100% silk

Mens red button down dress shirt